Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBTQ-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend.
1.) Acclaimed gay filmmaker Levan Akin’s latest feature Crossing hit select theaters this week and is streaming exclusively on MUBI August 30! Crossing is a moving and tender tale of identity, acceptance and unlikely connection that transcends borders and generations. The drama follows Lia, a retired teacher, who learns from her neighbor that her long-lost transgender niece, Tekla, has crossed the border into Turkey. In search of Telka, Lia travels to Istanbul and explores the hidden depths of the city, meeting a lawyer who fights for trans rights along the way. Watch Crossing in select theaters today or stream the film next month!
2.) Greenwich Entertainment unveiled the official trailer for long-awaited indie drama Close To You, coming to theaters August 16! Starring and co-written by transgender actor Elliot Page, the pic finds Page’s character, Sam, apprehensively returning to his hometown for the first time in almost four years. On his journey, Sam confronts his relationship with his family, reunites with a first love, and discovers a newfound confidence in himself. Check out the trailer below and be sure to catch Close to You in theaters later this summer!
3.) NEON dropped a new trailer for upcoming horror pic Cuckoo, starring multi-hyphenate Hunter Schafer! The psychological thriller finds 17-year-old Gretchen (Schafer) reluctantly leaving her American home to live with her father’s new family at a resort in the German Alps. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen’s mute half-sister Alma. Soon, Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family. Find the trailer below and watch Cuckoo in theaters August 9!
4.) The trailer for Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln is here! The documentary examines the intimate life of America’s most consequential president, Abraham Lincoln, while filling in an important missing piece of American history. As told by preeminent Lincoln scholars and never before seen photographs and letters, the film widens its lens into the history of human sexual fluidity and challenges the audience to consider modern society’s limited views.
5.) The upcoming horror comedy Queens of the Dead has cast a star-studded LGBTQ ensemble, including Jaquel Spivey, Katy O’Brian, Margaret Cho, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Cheyenne Jackson and more! Directed by Tina Romero, daughter of legendary director George A. Romero, the film pays tribute to classic zombies while adding a fresh, genre-defying, and queer twist. When a zombie apocalypse breaks out during a drag show in Brooklyn, an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, and frenemies must put aside their personal dramas and use their unique skills to halt the annihilation. In more casting news, pansexual entertainer Wayne Brady has boarded the addiction drama The Prince. Though plot details remain under wraps, the film is said to chronicle the “outrageous story of Parker Scott (Haze), a drug-fueled power broker hungry for non-stop thrills, ruling over a privileged world where pleasure is king, and more is never enough.” Stay tuned for more information on these exciting projects!
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6.) Level 33 Entertainment has picked up the documentary feature Chasing Chasing Amy, which played at over 75 film festivals. The doc, produced by GLAAD’s own Senior Director of Entertainment & Transgender Inclusion Alex Schmider, explores the complex legacy of Kevin Smith’s ‘90s rom-com Chasing Amy and its life-saving impact on the film’s director Sav Rodgers. Chasing Chasing Amy is set to premiere in theaters this fall; watch the trailer below!
7.) Dan Levy’s Not a Real Production Company and Elevation Pictures are co-producing Lilith Fair, an upcoming CBC documentary centering on Sarah McLachlan’s groundbreaking 1990’s all-female music festival Lilith Fair. Directed by queer writer Ally Pankiw and authorized by McLachlan, the film takes inspiration from the 2019 Vanity Fair article “Building a Mystery: An Oral History of Lilith Fair,” and draws on more than 600 hours of never-before-seen footage, interviews, and stories from fans, festival organizers and artists of Lilith Fair. LGBTQ interviewees include Brandi Carlile, Indigo Girls, and more!
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8.) Gay BAFTA-winner Andrew Scott has been set to lead the upcoming D-Day pic Pressure. In the true story, Scott plays Group Captain James Stagg, the Allies’ Chief Meteorologist who was responsible for informing Supreme Commander General Eisenhower of weather conditions, which was critical in the fate of the war and the course of history. Additionally, bisexual actor Kate Siegel has been set to star in the dark comedy Damned If You Do. The film follows a group of teenage friends who sold their souls to the devil. Years later, they must team up with an old classmate to escape Hell’s grasp before their contract’s deadline on their 25th high school reunion!
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9.) Netflix unveiled the official trailer for the final season of The Umbrella Academy! The highly anticipated season picks up after season three’s showdown at the Hotel Oblivion, which reset the Hargreeves siblings’ timeline. This new reality is dictated by the family patriarch, Reginald, and the siblings—including Viktor, played by trans actor Elliot Page—no longer have powers. Watch the trailer below and stream the last season of The Umbrella Academy on August 8! In more finale news, FX set an October 21 premiere date for the sixth and final season of What We Do in the Shadows. The Emmy-nominated series documents the nightly exploits of queer vampire roommates Nandor, Lazlo, Nadja, and Colin Robinson as they navigate the modern world of Staten Island with the help of their human friend Guillermo (queer actor Harvey Guillén). In the final season, the crew enters the workforce, parties with The Baron and conjures a demon—all while trying to find their place and their purpose in the world. Catch the first three episodes of What We Do in the Shadows on FX October 21 or streaming the next day on Hulu and check out the newly released key art!
10.) The first teaser for Disney+’s Agatha All Along has arrived! In the WandaVision spinoff, Agatha Harkness escapes the town of Westview, New Jersey with the help of a gay goth teen (gay actor Joe Locke) who wishes to face the trials of the legendary Witches’ Road. Without her magical powers, Harkness and the teen form a new coven of witches, including out actor Aubrey Plaza as Rio Vidal, a warrior witch. Watch the teaser below and stream the first two episodes of Agatha All Along on September 18! In other TV news, Onyx Collective announced a September 13 premiere date for upcoming comedy How to Die Alone on Hulu! The series follows Mel (Natasha Rothwell), a broke, fat, Black JFK airport employee who’s never been in love and has forgotten how to dream, until an accidental brush with death catapults her on a journey to finally take flight and start living by any means necessary. Gay actor Conrad Ricamora stars as Mel’s self-involved, boy-crazy and love starved best friend Rory!
11.) Prime Video is reuniting the fan-favorite Aussie detective duo Dulcie Collins and Eddie Redcliffe for a second season of Deadloch. Set in the fictional (and incredibly queer) titular town off the coast of Tasmania, two detectives reluctantly take charge of a murder investigation, tackling issues of colonialism, misogyny, homophobia and more along the way. In the upcoming season, Detectives Collins and Redcliffe head to the Top End of Australia’s Northern Territory to investigate the death of Redcliffe’s former policing partner Bushy. When the bodies of two Top End icons are discovered in a remote town, a new “sweatier, stickier” investigation ensues. Apple TV+’s Severance is also returning for a sophomore season, set to premiere on January 17! The multi-Emmy Award-winning series follows a team of employees at Lumon Industries who have undergone a procedure that surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. Season two reunites its original ensemble, including beloved gay characters Burt (Christopher Walken) and Irving (John Turturro), while welcoming new talent, such as bisexual actress Alia Shawkat. Find the date announcement below!
12.) Queer pop artist Bentley Robles ushered in an eclectic new era with the single “HIGH DEFINITION LOVER,” accompanied by an official visualizer. Out singer-songwriter Rae Isla shared the album New Frontier and out artist Boy Blu released his latest electro underground-meets-pop fantasy single “Visions,” alongside a music video, which can be found below! Additionally, The artist collective Revival, co-founded by out artist Peyton, debuted a fun new cover of Sly & The Family Stone’s “Dance To The Music,” featuring vocalist Kathy Brown; watch the music video! Alt-pop trio Chanpan—comprised of Grace Dumdaw and identical twins Lance and Matthew Tran—shared their double-single release “air ride” and “attack.” Also, queer South London artist Cat Burns released her highly-anticipated debut album early twenties and gay singer Adam Lambert unveiled the EP AFTERS, an exploration of sexuality and liberation!
13.) Isaac Dunbar, a GLAAD 20 Under 20 honoree and GLAAD Media Award-nominee, shared his latest single single “Take It Slow.” In more music news, out pop superstar Kesha celebrated her independence with “Joyride,” an eagerly awaited new pop anthem; check out the lyric video below! Queer Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and composer Abigail Barlow also dropped her newest single “Please Me” and queer London-born artist Minke released a new single “Favorite Part.” In addition, out indie-rock artist Abby Nissenbaum premiered her anticipated single “Perfect Crime,” off her upcoming EP Don’t Want to Cry, out in September!
14.) Drag star and multi-hyphenate performer Queen Priyanka debuted a new single “GUCCIYANKA,” featuring fellow Canadian drag star Lemon, and bisexual singer-songwriter Orla Gartland shared the single “The Hit,” off her just-announced upcoming album Everybody Needs A Hero. GLAAD Media Award-winner David Archuleta also dropped a new self analytical single “Rather Be Lonely” with an official lyric video. Finally, queer vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dhruv unveiled the official music video for single “Speed of Light,” off his debut album Private Blizzard, out August 23; watch the video below!
15.) Out stars Adam Lambert and Auli’i Cravalho are making their eagerly anticipated Broadway debuts this fall in the Tony Award-winner Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. Lambert plays Emcee and Cravalho plays Sally Bowles for a limited engagement starting Monday, September 16 at the August Wilson Theatre. Buy your tickets today!
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